(Minghui.org) Mr. Li Kai was watching TV at home when a group of police officers broke in and took him away. Less than two months later, he was sentenced to three-and-half years in prison for refusing to give up Falun Gong, a spiritual practice being persecuted by the Chinese communist regime.
The police refused to disclose where Mr. Li was detained, despite repeated requests from his family. The court also did not notify the family of his two hearings in September.
Mr. Li's wife found out her husband had been sentenced only by chance, after inquiring about his case at the courthouse. When she demanded to know why she was not notified of the verdict, the presiding judge told her, “There is no need to tell you. The law never says we have to notify family [of Falun Gong defendants].”
Mr. Li has appealed to a higher court.
Family Kept in Dark about Mr. Li's Whereabouts
On July 29, 2015, Bai Jie from the Domestic Security Division of Lulong County Police Department coordinated with officers from Chenguantun Police Station and the County Justice Bureau to arrest Mr. Li Kai at his home. They beat him, ransacked his home, and confiscated a bag of DVDs.
When his family called police, they were told that he had been placed under criminal detention, but officers refused to disclose where he was detained.
His family then went to ask officials at the detention center and Domestic Security Division, but were not given any information about his whereabouts.
Tried and Sentenced Without Family's Knowledge
Mr. Li's family did not receive notice of his trial on September 7 and sentencing on September 21.
On the day of the sentencing hearing, Mr. Li's wife happened to be at the courthouse to try to inquire with Judge Liu Chunyong about his case. She had no clue that her husband would be sentenced soon.
Judge Liu asked her to see Mr. Li's court-appointed lawyer, who emerged five minutes later and told Mr. Li's wife that her husband had just been sentenced to three and a half years in prison.
Regaining Health After Learning Falun Gong
Mr. Li, a farmer from the Heyezhuang Village, Lulong County, Qingdao City, Hebei Province, began practicing Falun Gong in 2009.
Soon after he read the Falun Gong books, his illnesses were gone, including insomnia, diabetes, high blood pressure, and liver disease–conditions that racked up almost as much in medical expenses as his family income.
Mr. Li's family purchased a carriage to earn money by transporting people. He took the opportunity to tell people how he had benefited from practicing Falun Gong. However, his doing so made him a target of persecution by the communist authorities.
Seven Arrests in Five Years
For practicing Falun Gong, Mr. Li has been arrested seven times, including the latest arrest that led to his prison term.
He was first arrested on April 9, 2010 while telling people about the persecution of Falun Gong by the communist regime. Officers beat him with hooked metal rods at the detention center, causing bleeding all over his body. They ransacked his home and seized his carriage, household appliances, a computer, and cash. He was given one year of forced labor.
After he was released from the labor camp in April 2011, he told others how he had been abused by the authorities. As a result, he was arrested at home and taken to the Qinhuangdao City Forced Labor Camp and Tangshan Forced Labor Camp, neither of which admitted him.
Two months later, Mr. Li was arrested in front of a supermarket, where police beat him and confiscated all of his belongings in his carriage. They attempted to take him to a forced labor camp, which refused to admit him due to his high blood pressure.
In September 2012, he was talking to people about the persecution of Falun Gong at the Lulong County Vocational Education Center when officers from the Chengguan Police Station arrested and pepper-sprayed him. They tied him to an “iron chair” for over 9 hours at the police station. The labor camp again turned him away.
His fifth arrest was in 2014, when he took three patients to see a doctor. On their way home, one patient had a quarrel with a fruit vendor, who called the police after seeing stickers saying “Falun Dafa is Good” and “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is Good” on his carriage. Police stopped his carriage, seized the vehicle, arrested him, and gave him another brutal beating. Officers took him to a detention center, but officials there refused to accept him.
One month later, officers from the Chenguantun Police Station arrested him again. They beat him and knocked out his two front teeth. Despite another refusal by the labor camp, he was badly injured and had to take more than 20 days to recover at home.
Partial list of perpetrators:
Domestic Security Division: Bai Jie, Captain, +86-13903330394Panzhuangzhen Police Station, Lulong County, Qinhuangdao City, Hebei Province: Wang Xuegang, Superintendent, +86-13933906401, +86-13969917898Lulong County Detention Center: +86-335-7117705Lulong County Police Department: +86-335-7012249, +86-335-7012659Lulong County Court: +86-335-7012437Chenguantun Court: +86-335-7046124Lulong County Procuratorate: +86-335-7012540, +86-335-7111155Lulong County Justice Bureau: +86-335-7206762Chengguan Police Station: Wang Zhenyu, +86-335-7012241, +86-15725252774, +86-13581078012Chenguantun Police Station: +86-335-7046110, +86-13768768949, +86-18953125789
